How much does it cost to run a vacuum cleaner?
A vacuum cleaner with a typical power of 900 watts costs 23.7p an hour at the current price cap.
Uses Ofgem's price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026: 26.32p per kWh, the average for Great Britain when paying by Direct Debit. Prices checked 13 November 2026.
Result
A vacuum cleaner (900 W) costs 23.7p an hour to run at the price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh.
an hour, to the nearest penny
| A day | 23.7p |
|---|---|
| A week | £1.66 |
| A month | £7.21 |
| A year | £86.46 |
| Electricity used in a year | 329 kWh |
That is 13% of the 2,500 kWh a typical home uses in a year.
Show the workings
| Step | Sum | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Turn watts into kilowatts | 900 W ÷ 1,000 | 0.9 kW |
| Cost of one hour | 0.9 kWh × 26.32p per kWh | 23.7p |
| Cost of one day's use | 23.7p × 1 hours | 23.7p |
| Cost of one week | 23.7p × 7 days | £1.66 |
| Cost of one year | £1.66 ÷ 7 × 365 days | £86.46 |
What this leaves out or assumes
- The standing charge is left out, because you pay it whether or not you use this appliance.
- A month is one twelfth of a year.
- The appliance draws its full power for the whole time it is on.
Where the figures come from
- Electricity unit rate, price cap, Great Britain average, Direct Debit: 26.32p per kWh. Source: Ofgem: Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Typical yearly electricity use, medium user: 2,500 kWh a year. Source: Ofgem: Review of typical domestic consumption values, decision (Table 1). Checked 13 November 2026.
Typical power for a vacuum cleaner is from Centre for Sustainable Energy: How much electricity am I using?. Yours may differ: check its rating plate.
Cost by how long it runs
| Running for | Electricity used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 0.075 kWh | 2p |
| 10 minutes | 0.15 kWh | 3.9p |
| 30 minutes | 0.45 kWh | 11.8p |
| 1 hour | 0.9 kWh | 23.7p |
| 2 hours | 1.8 kWh | 47.4p |
| 4 hours | 3.6 kWh | 94.8p |
| 8 hours | 7.2 kWh | £1.90 |
| 24 hours | 21.6 kWh | £5.69 |
Cost over a month and a year
If you used it this much every day:
| Used for | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes a day | £3.60 | £43.23 |
| 1 hour a day | £7.21 | £86.46 |
| 2 hours a day | £14.41 | £172.92 |
| 4 hours a day | £28.82 | £345.84 |
| 8 hours a day | £57.64 | £691.69 |
| All day, every day | £172.92 | £2,075 |
How much electricity does a vacuum cleaner use?
A vacuum cleaner rated at 900 watts uses 0.9 kWh of electricity for every hour it draws full power. Used for 1 hour every day, that is 329 kWh a year, 13% of the 2,500 kWh a typical home uses.
Cost in your region
The price cap is different in each region. Running a vacuum cleaner for an hour costs 22.8p in East Midlands, the cheapest region, and 25.1p in Merseyside and Northern Wales, the dearest.
| Region | Price per kWh | Cost for an hour |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 25.36p | 22.8p |
| Eastern England | 26.61p | 23.9p |
| London | 26.60p | 23.9p |
| Merseyside and Northern Wales | 27.86p | 25.1p |
| North Eastern England | 25.46p | 22.9p |
| North Western England | 26.49p | 23.8p |
| Northern Scotland | 26.35p | 23.7p |
| South Eastern England | 26.88p | 24.2p |
| South Western England | 26.58p | 23.9p |
| Southern England | 26.47p | 23.8p |
| Southern Scotland | 26.11p | 23.5p |
| Southern Wales | 26.55p | 23.9p |
| West Midlands | 25.60p | 23p |
| Yorkshire | 25.60p | 23p |
Paying by Direct Debit. Prices for other ways of paying.
How it compares
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour |
|---|---|---|
| Tumble dryer | 2,500 W | 65.8p |
| Washing machine | 2,100 W | 55.3p |
| Iron | 1,500 W | 39.5p |
| Vacuum cleaner | 900 W | 23.7p |
Running costs of every appliance
Checking your own vacuum cleaner
900 watts is a typical figure. Yours may be higher or lower. Look for the rating plate on the back or underside, find the number followed by W or kW, and put it in the calculator above.
Typical power is from Centre for Sustainable Energy: How much electricity am I using?, checked 13 November 2026. Prices are from Ofgem: Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges. The costs are our own sums.